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Decca
Records
The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms
Music Composed by Michael Kamen
Orchestrated by Michael Kamen, Robert Elhai, Brad
Warnaar
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin
Performed by The National Symphony Orchestra
Mr., Holland's Opus
Music Composed by Michael Kamen
Orchestrated by Michael Kamen, Jonathan Sacks, and
Blake Neely
Conducted by Leonard Slatkin
Performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra
Release Date: 2001
Purchase this CD at:
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Well, here is another CD release that, while technically not a film score,
I still opted to review. Of course, it's not like Michael Kamen is any
stranger to the film score community, and whenever a CD comes along that
would be of interest to those who enjoy film music, I feel that it is
necessary to review it here.
The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms is a symphonic poem that tells
the story of an ancient American culture, known as the "Anasazi"
to the Navajos, that mysteriously disappeared around 1300 A.D. Using what
little is known about their culture, Kamen composed a four movement piece
to pay tribute to this ancient race. Right from the very beginning, the
music is infused with a majestic quality that one wishes would find more
of a presence in his film works. The first movement is probably the best,
especially in the opening track. The lone violin piece that begins the
track sets a mystic tone that segues into a loud, dark, lively-dance piece.
In style, it closely resembles action music from Goldsmith, almost like
something from Planet of the Apes.
In fact, the music really captures the "old feel" of film scores
from the 70's and early 80s. Amazingly, it all incorporates well within
the whole of the piece.
The three scherzo's are also quite nice and bring in some interesting
techniques that again, I wish I could hear in Kamen's film work. His
string sections are especially similar in nature to John Williams,
though that is not to say that he rips anything off from Williams. Overall, the music manages a nice balance of both light, majestic pieces,
and loud "heavier" pieces. While it is a symphonic poem, it does
tend to sound like a film score most of the time.
Mr. Holland's Opus - An American Symphony is actually from the film of
the same name. While Kamen provided the background music for the movie, he
also set about incorporating it into the final piece that would appear at
the end of the film. It is really nice that it is included here, almost as
a bonus of sorts to pad out the CD. Not that it's a bad thing by any
means. While the symphony has its own tone and pacing, it is not a jarring
break from The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms. The style is quite
light, and almost comical in places (especially Making Homework
which is quite a fun little track). And, of course, what would an
American symphony be like without having a guitar somewhere? It
only appears in the last track, but thankfully Kamen writes well for it
and it blends in perfectly, making a fitting end for both the symphony and
the disc as a whole.
I was very pleased with this CD and I highly recommend it to Kamen fans.
If you have any interest in modern concert works, you definitely should
pick this one up as well. The only thing better than this CD would be
hearing it live. ****
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Track Listing
The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms - Symphonic Poem
I. 1,000 A.D.
1 - The Eagle Soars, Tribal Dance, The Dreams of the Old
Men, Kokopelli Speaks, Spirit of the Eagle, The Rise Above the Canyon
(12:54)
2. Little Scherzo "Kokopelli and the Eagle"
(1:21)
II. Prayer
3. Sunset (5:45)
4. Scherzo II "The Gathering of the Spirits (3:38)
III. In the Moonlight
5. Trio "From the Mists of Time" (1:59)
6. Scherzo III "The Gathering of the Spirits"
(6:46)
IV. 2,000 A.D.
7 - Reaching for the Stars (8:15)
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Mr. Holland's Opus - An American Symphony 8
- Iris (3:33) 9 - Cole's Tune (3:03) 10
- Marking Homework (2:52) 11 - Rowena (4:35) 12
- Finale (3:14)
Total Running Time: 58:22
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